The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring dimensions of objects which are transferred by conveying means and more particularly an apparatus for measuring diameters of fruits having various shapes such as apples, pears and peaches in the travelling direction, said fruits being conveyed successively past a measuring position.
It has been known to measure a length of travelling body in a non-contact manner with the aid of a light transmitting device and a light receiving device. However with only one set of these light transmitting and receiving devices it is not always possible to measure the maximum dimension of the object in the travelling direction. Such difficulty could be avoided by using a number of sets of the light transmitting and receiving devices. But in this case the cost of the measuring apparatus becomes high. Moreover in the known apparatus use is made of a light source comprising a usual lamp, so that only a thick light beam can be obtained and accurate measurement with high S/N could hardly be attained.
The present invention has for its object to provide an apparatus for measuring accurately dimensions of travelling objects with using a laser light beam and a pair of plane mirrors.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus for measuring maximum diameters of fruits such as apples, pears and peaches which have various shapes.